


Time of your life

by Adrenaline_Roulette



Category: Jurassic Park Original Trilogy (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Betrayal, Comfort, Conflict Resolution, Dinosaurs, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Life after jurassic park, Love, Love Confessions, Partner Betrayal, Romance, they were roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:40:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23874832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adrenaline_Roulette/pseuds/Adrenaline_Roulette
Summary: “Come here for a second.”“What’s up?”“Well, we never got a photo of us on our first day here, but I want to remember this. It’s a big deal ya know, the whole moving out of your family home and all that jazz. So, let’s get a photo now, we can show off my artistic ability in the process too.”“A perfect idea, I’ll grab my camera, and I’ll get the photo printed next time I’m in the mall.”“Welcome home Tim.”
Relationships: Tim Murphy/Reader
Kudos: 2





	Time of your life

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as a challenge for Tumblr, my prompt was Good Riddance (The time of your life) By Green day.  
> I'm really quite happy with how it turned out in the end!  
> I definitely wrote a MUCH longer one shot than i initially intended to, but I think that's okay!

“Doctor Y/L/N, Satellite call from New York for you.”   
The hot Arizona sun beat down on the nape of your neck, the broad brimmed hat you wore doing little to protect the exposed flesh while you sat hunched in a pit of dirt.  
Peering up you squint your eyes against the sun, looking around for where the voice had come from. You were three weeks into the dig, and had another four left. So far, all your team had managed to find were a few coprolites, which was exciting in itself, however they had been sent back to the museum to be researched by the Coprologists and you were still awaiting the results, and until they came back, you had no way of knowing what animal they had come from. For all you know, this could be a useless dig, there may not be _any_ dinosaur fossils or bones here whatsoever!

“Has anyone seen Doctor Y/L/N?” The same voice from before calls out, now coming from much further away than before.

“Blue shirt, she’s at dig site four.” A second voice replies, sounding mildly irritated.  
You stand up, feeling your muscles relax after having spent far too long hunched over. Lifting your arms above your head and stretching your shoulders out, you finally see a young man jogging towards you, waving the satellite phone around wildly.

The young man finally comes to a stop in front of you, puffing from having run around the dig site. “Here, drink then speak.” You smirk, reaching down and retrieving your water bottle, before passing it to the man who you now recognised as Jake, one of the four paleobotanists you had brought along to the dig.

“Thank you.” Jake sighed, taking a deep gulp of the semi cold water. Nothing stayed cold out here for long, even when you stored your water in an insulated bottle, it still managed to become warm after only a short period of time. Though at the end of the day, water is water, and you’ll take what you can get.  
“Sorry about that…”

You shake your head smiling gently at the scraggly man, he had shaggy black hair which was plastered to his forehead with sweat. “Don’t be sorry, just maybe next time don’t run around so much. I don’t have any clue where the nearest hospital is if you collapse from heat stroke.”

Jake rolls his eyes, before thrusting the phone out towards you, as if having suddenly recalled why he had been looking for you in the first place. “Phone’s for you. Couldn’t catch the name sorry, the connection isn’t very good, but I know it’s coming from New York.”

There’s no hiding the grin which lights up your entire face, your eyes shining in glee as you grip the phone tightly, bringing it up to your ear. “Timothy Murphy, where the bloody hell are you?”

There’s a delay before Tim’s all too familiar voice flows through the phone, his words crackled through the dodgy connection. “Good to hear from you too Y/N!”

“Oh shut up you stupid man, you know I’m happy to hear from you.”

The line goes dead for a few seconds before it picks up again. So far, not a single person had managed to have a successful phone call out here, no matter where the call was coming in from, the connection always sounded as if you were trying to communicate with someone stationed on Mars.  
“-Australia, leaving Wednesday.”

You frown at the words you had heard, the crackled line having prevented you from hearing the beginning of Tim’s sentence. “Can you repeat that, sounded like you said something about Australia?”

“I did… Y/N, I’m not coming to Arizona. There’s a new dig site that’s being developed in Australia, they’ve asked me to put together a team of the best of the best, and head out that way. I leave Wednesday.”   
You can barely comprehend the words Tim has just spoken, there’s a lump forming in your throat and you’re not sure you can speak even if you wanted to.  
“They only told me about it on Friday, it’s just such short notice, I can’t make it to Arizona, then back here just to fly out to Australia….”

“You’ve known since Friday that you wouldn’t be coming here? Two days… You’ve known for two days, but you didn’t think to say anything?”

“I know, I’m sorry. It’s just been so hectic; I mean trying to get a team together with less than a week’s notice? It’s impossible!” There’s humour to his voice, a sense of humour which you are unable to see in this scenario.

“You said you’re looking for the best to go with you?”

“Hm? Oh yeah, there’s apparently a lot to be found over there, so we want our top people over there. Just so we can identify things without sending them back to the museum first. Did you know they’ve found Muttaburrasaurus landoni fossils there? How amazing is that?”

“Of course I fucking know that!” You screech, the lump in your throat causing your words to come out in a choked way. “I wrote the fucking report! Remember that Tim? Remember how many sleepless nights I spent working on that report? Australia was _my_ dream Tim! It was _mine_ and _you_ know that!”

Another pause flows through the line, though this time you know that it’s intentional, and not a case of a terrible connection. “I’m not trying to steal your dream. But I was asked to head this dig, I couldn’t say no.”

“Yes Tim, yes you could’ve. No one was forcing you to say yes. You did that, you made that decision all by yourself.” You take a deep breath, fighting off the tears which sting at the corners of your eyes. “So, the best of the best huh? I hope you get your dream team together. But you’re not having anyone from my team. You can’t.”

“I won’t take anyone from your team, that wouldn’t be fair. Besides, the only person on your team I would want, I can’t have.”

“And why’s that then?”

“Because she’s running the dig site.”

Your heart stops in your chest, Tim’s words bleeding into your soul as they seem to echo in your mind. It was you, he wanted to take you. But he can’t take you, he can’t have you…  
“I hope you have the time of your life Tim.”   
And with those final words, you end the call, allowing the tears you had held back to freely flow down your cheeks.

*****

Tim Stared down at the phone, his brows creased in a sorrowful frown, and a lump the size of a tennis ball lodged in his throat. The line was dead, you had hung up without so much as letting him say goodbye. He knew this was going to hurt you, but the museum hadn’t given him a choice, it was either he got a team together and went to Australia, or they pulled the pin on the whole expedition, and then all the work you had done in your report would’ve been for nothing.  
He couldn’t let that happen, of course he knew how hard you had worked on that report, he had been with you the whole time. Bringing you cups of tea when he knew you were stressed and ordering you both takeout just so he could make sure you would actually eat something.

***^^^***

_You were sat at your desk in the apartment you and Tim shared. You had decided to move in together after becoming good friends at the museum, both of you deciding it made sense to split the rent of a ridiculously expensive flat, if it meant you could both live close to where you worked. The fact that you got along as if you had known each other since birth and not just for a year, also helped with the living situation._

_You were staring at your laptop, the pale blue glow being the only thing that illuminated the room, the outside world long since having faded to night without you realising, meaning you had never turned on any of the lights in your room. The document you were working on which focused on the type of dinosaurs which had likely roamed Australia stared back at you, the fifteen pages you had written seeming to mock you, almost as if the document **knew** you had another forty still to write.  
A knock on your closed bedroom door only caused you to break your staring contest for a moment, your attention being drawn to where the knock had sounded from.   
“Come in.” You call out before returning to your unblinking state._

_“Have you left this room today?” Tim laughed quietly, though you could hear his concern peeking through his light tone._

_“Hmm?” You’re only vaguely aware Tim had entered the room, let alone spoken._

_Tim moves around the room, coming up behind your chair, and resting his hands on your shoulders lightly. “I said, have you left this room today? Or have you been sitting in here all day?” He repeats himself, voice soft and gentle, almost as if he were speaking to a small child._

_You frown slightly, taking note of the late hour on the clock in the bottom right of your screen. “Um, I did get up to let Mia in. Then again to let her out twenty minutes later?” You offer, thinking back to when the tortoiseshell cat had made her desire to enter your room known by meowing insistently in the hall._

_Tim nods his head slowly, moving his hands to grip the back of the leather office chair, his long fingers digging into the soft cushioning. “Ok, so you’ve stood up twice in what, eight odd hours?”_

_You turn your head to look out the window behind you, only now realising how dark it had gotten, when had it become so late?!  
“Uh.. Well it’s eight now, and I started working on this at-” You look back at the computer clock, trying to recall when your day had begun. “Roughly nine-ish.” You shrug lightly, bringing your hand up to rub at your tired eyes._

_“Bloody hell Y/N, that’s nearly twelve hours! Have you eaten?” Tim is visibly concerned now, and there’s a part of you which can understand why he is. If the roles here were reversed, you would likely be just as upset in this situation as he is._

_“I had cup tea, does that count?” You know damned well it doesn’t count, but you just hadn’t been able to find the energy to pull yourself away from your research to grab a bite to eat._

_“Right then!” Tim declares, his grip on the chair tightening, before he pulls it towards his chest, the entire chair wheeling backwards and away from the desk. “You’re coming with me.”_

_“Tim! What are you doing?”_

_He swivels the chair around so you’re now facing him, your head tilted back so you can see his face. “It doesn’t matter what I’m doing. But I can tell you what you’re going to be doing. You’re going to save that document right now, then turn off the laptop, and then you will not be coming back to it until tomorrow. Understood?”_

_Your head nods instinctively, your eyes locked on his. He knows just as well as you do, that the chances of you coming back to continue working on this when you say you’re going to bed, are high. But for now, none of the matters, he’s here to look after you, just like he always does. “Okay. I can do that.”_

_His smile is back now, the look of worry that had hardened his features now slowly fading away. “Have a shower, I’ll order us something for dinner.”_

_You can’t help but return his smile, before pushing yourself around to save and log off your computer. Your stomach growls on cue, the thought of food causing you to realise just how hungry you were. “Sounds amazing, I’ll be out shortly.”  
Tim rests his hands on your shoulders one last time, his scarred palms pressing against th soft fabric of your shirt for just a moment too long. Carefully, he pulls away, taking his leave from your bedroom, and leaving a series of muddled thoughts for you to sift through._

_  
You gather your belongings for your shower, biting your lip in concentration the whole time. You had known Tim for just over a year now, your friendship budding from being the two newest recruits at the museum. It wasn’t long before you would do everything together, shopping trips, the occasional movie, there had even been a festival you had dragged him along to. Next came moving in together, it had seemed entirely logical at the time, the apartment you now shared, neither of you could afford the rent alone, together however it was easy!  
Since day one he had been caring, sweet and kind, and he always had your best intentions at heart. When you were sick but still came into work, he would bring you hot soup, and as many cups of tea as you asked for. He would stay with you all day, until he and the rest of the team could convince you to go home and rest up.   
Talk at work had quickly started to swell, your colleagues asking if the two of you were dating, and never quite believing either of you when you said you were just friends and flatmates.   
He never noticed the way your shoulders would sag when you said this, and you never saw how his eyes would look to you and stay locked there for a few moments before answering. _

_For you, those feelings of friendly affection had quickly shifted to more, somewhere between the first and third month of living together, you had begun to develop romantic feelings for Tim, feelings which you were at least 50% sure were not reciprocated.  
Well, that was until four months ago, things just seemed to change one day after work. It was a Friday, and both of you were beyond exhausted, though neither of you would ever admit to it. You can’t remember who, but one of you had suggested you relax with a movie and pizza, and of course the other had agreed instantly.   
Less than an hour later, you were both settled on the sofa draped in a blanket as you watched ‘Walking with Dinosaurs’, chowing down on greasy pizza.   
The next thing you knew, you were waking up in the morning. At some point during the evening, you had fallen asleep with your head resting against Tim’s shoulder. This wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, what was uncommon was how you had woken up on this particular morning. Tim had stretched himself out on the sofa, his arms wrapped around your waist, so you were laying against his front, with your chin pillowed against his chest. _

_Neither of you ever mentioned what had happened, keeping it to yourselves. But from that moment on, the atmosphere shifted, longer glances at one another both at home and at work. The occasional **accidental** hand brush when you were walking side by side, and just generally wanting to be nearer to one another.   
This had been going on for four months now, and to you, it was pure torture! Tim was impossible to read, for all you knew he was just being friendly still, and perhaps he truly didn’t feel the same way about you as you did him. _

_Stepping out of the bathroom, your hair wrapped in a towel to dry, and your cosiest pyjamas wrapped around you, you shuffle into the kitchen where you find Tim, casual as ever in a grey t-shirt with his ever present white undershirt peeking up from the collar, and pair of faded jeans. He’s leaning against the kitchen counter, scrolling through his phone with a look of pure concentration. You almost feel bad for interrupting him. “Hey Tim?”_

_He looks up, blinking rapidly, too lost in his own thoughts to have heard you walk in. That and the fact that the fluffy bed socks you were wearing did an excellent job at concealing the sound of your footsteps. “Oh hey, I was just looking for something for dinner. Fancy anything in particular?”_

_You shake your head no, the turban of a towel you had created wobbling precariously as you do so. “I’m fine with whatever.” You shrug lightly, chewing on the inside of your cheek, as you find a spot behind his head to focus on, rather than look directly in his hazel eyes._

_Tim nods twice, before looking back down, his focus growing more intense as his scrolling becomes faster. He’s looking for something, and if the amount of scrolls he’s just done is anything to go off, you know exactly what he’s about to pick for dinner. “Thai it is then!” He declares triumphantly, holding his phone out to you so you can select what you would like from his favourite Thai restaurant._

_You flick through the menu, adding a few things to the cart, including a milk tea which you had been craving all week. As you pass Tim back his phone, your fingers brushing against his knuckles in the process. “Tim?” You start again, building the courage to ask what you had been thinking for weeks now._

_He looks up through his lashes momentarily, before looking back to his phone to continue adding to the basket. “Do we want spring rolls? Don’t answer that, of course we do…” He murmurs, grinning to himself._

_“Timothy Murphy!” You try for a third and final time, this time earning his full undivided attention. His eyes catch yours, just as the order is processed and accepted by the restaurant._

_“Yeah? Sorry Y/N, what’s going on?” He asks softly, straightening his posture, though remaining leant against the counter, the picture of ease and comfort._

_Right, here you were. He was listening, now was your chance to ask him, to get an answer to the question which had been plaguing you for weeks. But what if you didn’t like the answer? Or what if his answer was exactly what you hoped it would be, but it changed everything?  
There was no going back now, you had his undivided attention and you knew Tim; If you turned around and said to forget about it, he would pester you for weeks until you would inevitably give in and ask him anyways. So you may as well say your piece now.  
“Are we dating?” The words spew out of you in a flurry, you don’t have the chance to phrase them nicely, or to even put any thought into them. But they were out there now, hanging in the air like a thick winters fog._

_“I’m sorry?” Tim begins, but you hold your hand out before he can continue, you need to say this before you chicken out._

_“Look, I know it doesn’t make much sense at first, but look at closely. We spend all our time together, we live together, you carried me to bed the other night because I complained that I was too tired to walk, you get dinner for me when I forget to eat because I’m too busy working, I know more about you than I do about my own family members, and I’ve shared more personal details with you than I have with anyone else! Minus the physical contact aspect of a relationship, we’re practically dating! And I just- I just need to know. Are we dating?”_

_Tim stares at you, his pupils blown wide to the extent of concealing most of the hazel which usually resides there. His mouth is moving as if he were trying to speak, yet no words were being formed, or at least not audibly so. He moves slowly, placing his phone in the back pocket of his jeans, before stepping towards you.  
“Are we dating? I- I guess I never really thought too much about it. I just know that I love spending my time with you, and that the only reason why this apartment has ever felt like home, is because you’re here. So tell me this Y/N, do you want to be dating?”_

_He’s turned this around on you, and you’re caught like a deer in headlights. It was one thing to ask him what he thought of the idea, and to then roll with whatever his answer was. But it was a whole other kettle of fish to have the question thrown back at you.  
What should you say though? It already felt as if you were dating, so what harm could it do to just add on the label?   
“I think… Yes? I do want to date you, yeah.” You breathe out, feeling as if the weight of the world had been lifted from your shoulders._

_Tim’s eyes light up like the sun, and they’re focused entirely on you now, there’s nothing else in the room, nay, in the world that could fill him with the amount of happiness which you had just bestowed upon him. He steps closer, one, two, three…. Until finally he his stood directly in front of you, looking down at you with a gentle smile on his lips. “I think we just made someone at work kinda rich…”_

_“How do you mean?” You breathe out, looking up at him with a small smile of your own._

_“One of the paleobotanists mentioned to me a while back that **someone** had started a betting pool on how long it would be until we started dating. From my understanding, someone is about to be $500 richer when we get back in on Monday.” _

_“Hold up, who started the pool?” You gasp out, though you’re hardly surprised, there was constantly at least two betting pools running at one time in the Museum. Just last week you had bet $170 that the new intern would end up being employed permanently._

_“Who do you think?” Tim smirks, shuffling ever closer to you in the middle of the small kitchen._

_“Emily.” You groan, shoulders slumping at the thought. Emily was notorious for trying to set up office romances, she thought that just because she and her wife had met at the museum, and been married for two years now, and that she had set up one other couple, this gave her matchmaker privileges. On your second week of working at the museum, she had announced to the entire staff room where a number of you were eating lunch, that she would one way or another find a way to get you and Tim in a relationship._

_“Hey, don’t think about her for the time being.” Tim whispers, his breath fanning across your lips._

_“Why? I’m thinking of ways I can get back at her for betting on us.” You grumble, though you both know it was said in jest._

_Tim sighs softly, a crooked smile on his thin lips. “Because I would hate for Emily to be what’s on your mind when I do what I’m about to do.”_

_Your brows raise up, disappearing into the towel which was still coiled around your head. “And do tell, what are you planning on doing next hm?”_

_“This.” Without a moments hesitation, Tim steps forwards one last time, resting both palms on your waist and pulling you against him roughly. You don’t think, there’s no time to, as you suddenly feel his lips caressing your own in the ghost of a kiss.  
His stubbled jaw brushes against your chin as he moves to find the perfect position, his nose bumping against yours as you slowly tilt your head to the left, just as he does the same. Your noses press against each other, as your lips work as one.  
Your hands, which had laid uselessly at your sides finally decide to come to life, slowly creeping their way up until one is cupping his right cheek, the other curled over his broad shoulder. His tongue glides along your bottom lip, seeking entrance to your mouth, which you happily provide him. Neither of you have any concept of time, nor the world around you. In this moment, all there is, is you and Tim, entwined as one. Your bodies pressing against one another as if you were two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, which were destined to fit together._

_Minutes or hours, days or even months pass before you slowly pull away, resting your forehead against his as you both gasp to catch your breath. The hand which had been on Tim’s shoulder glides up his neck, before settling on his head, your calloused fingers tangling through the wavy mess of auburn locks. “Thank you.” Your voice is barely more than a whisper, but it’s more than loud enough for Tim to hear._

_“You don’t have to thank me. That was everything I ever hoped it would be. He punctuates the end of his sentence with one final kiss._

***^^^***

Tim collapsed onto the bed, staring at the walls of the bedroom he shared with you. Would you still want to share a bed when you returned from Arizona and he from Australia? Hell, would you still want to share the apartment at all?  
The bed felt cold without you, it always did. You provided a warmth both physically and emotionally, one which he missed terribly on the nights where you were unable to share a bed. This cold however, was different. It wasn’t the kind of cold where he knew it would soon thaw the moment you came home. This was a cold which had settled around his heart, the type of cold he hadn’t felt since that day in Jurassic Park. It was the kind of cold which signified an end.  
Just as Jurassic Park had signified an end to his deep love for his grandfather, and his desire to one day bring the dinosaur’s back to life himself.   
This cold signified what he feared was the end of a relationship, and the end of the love you felt for him.

Slowly, he stood from the bed, pressing his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, as he walked aimlessly around the bedroom. The meeting he had had at the museum was stuck playing in a loop in his mind, and he couldn’t escape it.

_“We’re putting together a team for the Australian dig site Dr Y/L/N researched last year.” Kevin Jones, the head of the museum had informed Tim._

_“That’s brilliant, Dr Y/L/N will be thrilled. Who will be on her team?”_

_“The team will need to be selected still, however Dr Y/L/N will not be heading the expedition.”_

_“What do you mean? She’s the one who did all the work for this, this has been her dream since before she finished school, of course she’s heading it!”_

_“Dr Y/L/N is on another dig at the moment, one which we cannot abandon at this early stage, at least not until the findings they’ve sent back for us to examine have determined whether or not there is anything to dig for out there.”_

_“Can’t you get someone else to take over for her in Arizona? Surely there is someone else who could lead her team out there?”_

_“Dr Murphy, this is not your decision to make. The board and I have discussed this, and have decided that seeing as Dr Y/L/N is otherwise engaged, then you should be the one to lead the Australian dig. We are aware of your personal relationship with Y/N, and believe this is why you would be best suited for role.”_

_“How does our relationship have anything to do with the dig?”_

_“Well Dr Murphy, we assume Y/N would have shared some of her knowledge with you in regards to what types of fossils may be discovered in Australia, and where they may be located. This information she hasn’t shared with others.”_

_“Uh- well yes she has told me some things, but this is her dig. I can’t do this to her! It would destroy her! Please, just either find someone to take her place in Arizona, or wait a few more weeks until she’s back!”_

_“Dr Murphy, we are not giving you a choice here. Either you accept the role, or we will not be sending anyone to Australia for this dig, and Dr Y/L/N’s research will all be for naught.”_

Tim scrubbed his knuckles down his face, as if he could physically pull the conversation out of his mind. He had been given no choice, what was he supposed to do? He couldn’t let all your hard work go to waste, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he did that. But yet, here he was, trying to put together a team, for a dig which was always supposed to be yours.

He looked around the room, which had started as yours when you had both first moved in It was the larger of the two bedrooms, so you had both agreed to make it the master bedroom when your relationship had become serious. His old room was now the combined office, with one desk on either side of the room, leaving both of you plenty of room to store as many books as possible in the bookshelves that surrounded the other walls.   
Stepping over to the wall opposite the bed, he gazes over the large corkboard which hung lopsided but could never be corrected. It was a manufacturing error which had the hook on the back of the board sitting too far to one side rather than in the centre. Tim had suggested buying a new one, but you refused stating that the crooked board had character.

Pinned to the corkboard was a small print out of the world map, with some areas dotted with coloured pins stamped into them. Surrounding the map were photos, some of you both together, others with friends, and some with family or alone. Each photo was also held up with a coloured pin, a colour which corresponded with one pinned to the map, signifying where in the world the photo had been taken.  
Hs eyes lingered on his favourite photograph of you both, it was pure stupidity, and absolutely screamed Murphy and Y/L/N.

***^^^***

_It was your third day in your new apartment, both you and Tim had taken the week off from work so you could unpack your belongings, and not have to worry about doing so after a full day of work.  
The mountain of boxes which lay scattered around the home had slowly begun to diminish, and excellent sign that proved you were nearing an end to this tedious task.  
“A-Ha! Finished!” You declared from down the hallway. _

_Tim looked up from where he was stacking books onto an already overflowing shelf, gazing towards where your voice had sounded from.  
Finished? Finished what?   
Looking back at the boxes that lay near his feet, a frown clouded his expression. Clearly it wasn’t unpacking which you had finished, half of these boxes were yours after all. A sinking feeling overcame him, oh no… You weren’t a slob were you? Surely you didn’t intend on living out of boxes for however long you stayed here?  
Before he had the chance to overthink things too much, you appeared in the small living room, parading around in front of him._

_“I did a thing!” You grin, twirling on the spot, your sock clad feet allowing you to glide around on the smooth wooden floors._

_Tim raises his brows, blinking at your in bewilderment. You looked like an absolute mess, the navy flannel shirt you wore hanging open to reveal a dust covered pink t-shirt which read ‘Dinosaur puns are pteroble’ with a cartoon pterodactyl next to the words. Your jeans now somehow sported a brand-new rip at the knee, which he was unsure how had gotten there. And your hair looked as if a bird had made its nest there, likely from your constant need to run your fingers through your locks, a habit he noticed you had whenever you felt stressed.  
“What’d you do?”_

_From your back pocket, you produce two sets of keys jangling them obnoxiously as if the prove what they were. “I hate to break it to you Y/N, but you didn’t make those…”_

_“Shut up, of course I didn’t!” You chastise, clasping the keys in one hand, while your other retrieves something else from your pocket. “These however I made – Well I didn’t make them, but I made them better!” Your grin is infectious, and Tim can’t help but smile along with you. “This one is mine-“ You begin, holding up a keyring, and attached to it is a small plastic stegosaurs, which was covered in hot pink holographic glitter, while its bone plates were covered in teal holo glitter. “And this one is yours!” You pass him one of the sets of keys, and with it a keyring of his own. Attached was a plastic brachiosaurus, dusted in stripes of red, blue and yellow holo glitter.  
“My theory is, because these are so outlandish, and over the top. That no one will ever try to steal our keys!” _

_Tim can’t help but laugh, a deep baritone chuckle which flows through his entire body. “They’re perfect! Not only will no one ever take them, but I doubt we’ll ever lose them either!” He grins, using his thumb nail to pry open the split ring of the dinosaur key ring, before slipping the keys through it, giving them a tug the assure they weren’t going anywhere._

_“Come here for a second.” You smile, beckoning him closer to you, as you connect your keys just as Tim had._

_Tim steps closer, a lopsided smirk residing permanently on his lips. “What’s up?”_

_“Well, we never got a photo of us on our first day here, but I want to remember this. It’s a big deal ya know, the whole moving out of your family home and all that jazz. So, let’s get a photo now, we can show off my artistic ability in the process too.” You shrug, twirling your keys around your index finger once, for good measure._

_“A perfect idea, I’ll grab my camera, and I’ll get the photo printed next time I’m in the mall.” Tim offers, racing down the hall and reappearing with his camera in tow. He huddles up next to you, your shoulders pressed together as he holds the camera out in front of you. In his free hand he holds up his keys, displaying the brachiosaurus proudly for the lens to see. You do the same, tiny specs of holo glitter dancing around you both._

_“Welcome home Tim.” You whisper, just as he presses the button, the camera capturing the moment when a slight blush began to creep up his cheeks._

_Home, this was home. In a tiny apartment which cost way too much for what it was, with you. It was home._

***^^^***

Tim sighed deeply, his brows furrowing as his gaze lingered a moment longer on the photo, a small amount of dust covered the print, as it was likely one of the oldest that had been pinned to the board. Wiping his thumb over the glossy top, he felt his heart tighten and his eyes sting with the beginnings of unshed tears.

Turning away from the corkboard, he grabbed a duffel bag out of the closet, throwing it onto the bed haphazardly, determination filling his every move. His open laptop lay at the head of the bed, displaying the email detailing his assignment. It had only been sent to him, but that no longer mattered, especially now as he forwarded it on to his fellow palaeontologist Doctor Jerry Brown with a small caption above it. “I need you to get this team together. I’ll be meeting you all there when I can. Don’t mention anything to anyone please?”   
Hitting send, he waited impatiently for the notification to read the email was no longer pending, before shutting the screen with enough force he was sure it had cracked.

Tim raced around the bedroom, collecting garments of clothing, and throwing them into the duffel, along with shoes and the bare essential toiletries. He would come back for everything else he needed later, for now there was only one place he needed to be, and that wasn’t Australia. Australia wasn’t going anywhere, well at least not the county itself. The job there, however? Well that was another subject all together, and one he would deal with when the time came. For now, he had to hit the road as soon as he could, for now he had a near thirty-seven hour drive ahead of him.

***^^^***

The afternoon had passed you by in a blur, you were hardly able to concentrate on the dig site before you. Though you continued to work, it was obvious to anyone that something had changed, that your heart wasn’t in it as it had been only a few hours before.   
“Clouds are rolling in!” Someone yells from over by the campsite, where multiple trailers were stationed.

The words pierce through your sour mood, and for the first time in hours, you look up from your work area, turning your sight towards the sky. Sure enough, dark and menacing storm clouds were building rapidly to the East of the dig site. “Fuck.” You mutter under your breath, pushing yourself up into a standing position. You look around the site with a wild expression, tracking down Jake who was helping someone pack away their things. “Jake! What’s going on?” You call out, his head perking up in your direction the moment he hears his name.

“We just got the notification, there’s a tropical cyclone forming off the Eastern coast which is heading our way. Apparently, they’ve been trying to contact us for a couple of days now to warn us, but nothing was coming through.”

“Any idea how badly we’re gonna be hit?”

“It looks like it’ll just be a nasty storm, rain and thunder, but no wind warnings yet.”

You nod, rubbing your fingers through your hair gently. “Okay, we need to get everything covered up right now, those clouds aren’t looking any friendlier!” You address your team, though most had taken the initiative to begin protecting their work areas already without instruction.

The next thirty minutes are spent with everyone frantically packing things away, tents are dismantled, while tarps are thrown over dig sites using the tent pegs to secure them down. If you had more time, there was far more that could be done to secure the area, however just as you hammer in the final peg for the area you had been working on, the heavens above open up with a flash of lightning which illuminates the entire sky, the black clouds momentarily looking like broad daylight due to the sheer brightness which came from the flash. Rain trickles down slowly, one or two odd drops landing over the desert, this lasts only a couple of minutes, before they increase in tempo, being thrown down with such severity you all race to seek shelter.

As you race for the trailer you had made home, your team flee in various directions, some using umbrellas they had found to protect against the rain, while others push through without protection just as you do. “Get inside and stay safe. If you need to communicate with anyone, use the walkie talkies for the night. I’ll keep you all updated as I hear what’s going on!” You yell, though your voice is drowned out by a crash of thunder.   
For you, this wasn’t the first dig site storm you had endured, you only hoped that unlike last time, you had all done enough to protect your findings, and that nothing would be lost. For others, this was the first time they had ever experienced something like this. And as you lay on the bed which when covered over doubled as your dining table, you couldn’t help but understand the fear which some of the younger members of your team must be feeling right now. A trailer was hardly the sturdiest of living environments, and every shock of thunder outside would rattle everything within. The lighting flashed through the tiny windows above you, blurred slightly by the constant streaks of rain with splattered against the glass.

Rolling onto your side, you clutch at your pillow, burring your face into the thin foam. There were innumerable emotions rolling through your mind, anger, betrayal, hatred, loathing, love, respect, and most importantly worry.  
Despite how furious you were at Tim for what he had done, and for how your conversation with him had ended, you couldn’t help but worry about him. Worry about how he would react if he were here with you right now, listening to the bass drum thunder, curled in your arms as the rain pelted the thin metal which separated you from the storm raging outside.

***^^^***

_The first time you noticed was a Thursday. You had arrived at work early and were busy making yourself a cup of coffee in the staffroom when Tim walked in looking dishevelled as hell. His hair was messy, and not in the usual way from constantly running his hands through the auburn strands, no this was from what looked to be tossing and turning all night. He hadn’t shaved, and the patchy stubble which covered his jaw only added to the sleepless appearance, of course to top it all of were the bags beneath his eyes. It was not uncommon to see any number of people you worked with sporting purple markings beneath their eyes, it came naturally with the stress of the job. Today though, Tim’s were black as midnight.  
“Hey, you doing alright?” _

_His response was sluggish, and just watching as he blinked his tired eyes at you was enough to know he likely hadn’t slept at all last night. “Yeah. Why?” He attempted to smile at you, though even the slight quirk of his lips look strained._

_“Tim, you look like hell. Did something happen?”_

_He shook his head slowly, supressing a yawn with the knuckle of his index finger. “Just couldn’t sleep. The storm kept me up.” He went about making his own coffee, which you noticed included far more coffee than water, not that you dared to mention anything. It wasn’t your place to question his actions or words._

_***_

_By the time you moved in together, you had picked up on a pattern with Tim. It seemed that whenever it stormed at night, he would show up to work the next day not having caught a wink of sleep. You had drawn the conclusion that for one reason or another, Tim Murphy was afraid of storms, though again it was never a topic you approached him with. Everyone is entitled to their own secrets, and if he ever so wished to inform you as to why he was afraid of storms, you would be more than willing to listen. Until then however, you did all you could do to help him from a distance._

_On the nights where it stormed, you would often hear him sobbing in his room across the hall, despite both your door and his being shut, you could still hear him, and it damned near broke your heart every time.  
In the mornings, you never asked him what had happened the previous night, just as he never brought it up. There was an unspoken agreement between you both, that although you heard him, and knew something was wrong, you would keep it to yourself._

_So instead, you made sure to be up before him the next morning, and would brew him a cup of chamomile tea. Between the two of you, you had an abundance of nerdy mugs in one of the kitchen cupboards, and each morning you would use a different mug.  
On the nights which had been particularly bad, where you knew he had barely stopped crying once, you would pull down the colour changing Star Wars mug. It was black, with an image of Luke battling Vader, when hot water was added, both lightsabres would light up in blue and red respectively.   
You knew it didn’t make what was happening to Tim any better, nor did it take away the pain he clearly felt, though you knew it at least made his day ever so slightly better, at least if the small smile he would send your way was anything to go off._

_***_

_One month into your relationship, and the monster of all storms hit New York. Thunder crashed as if God himself were bowling in the heavens, lightning illuminated the sky to the point where you didn’t know if it were night or day, and the rain seemed to come from every direction at once. All day long, you had watch the storm building from across the city, every hour you would make your way over to the windows which surrounded the conference room on the floor you worked, watching as the storm clouds marched further across the city sky. While you watched the impending storm approach, Tim made sure to **not** look, and kept his distance from the windows at all costs._

_As you walked home, hand in hand that afternoon the smell of rain filled the air. While to you it was calming, and you felt relaxed after a busy day, you could feel Tim’s fingers tighten their grip around your knuckles, clinging to you desperately as he picked up his pace, causing you to do the same. You made it home in record time, just as the first few drops of rain began to fall.  
You shucked off your shoes onto the shoe rack by the front door, hanging up your coat in the small closet in the hall once you made your way further inside. Looking back over your shoulder, you spot Tim leaning with his back pressed up against the closed front door, squeezing his eyes shut firmly.  
“Hey.... Hey there. Why don’t you go get through the shower? I’ll cook us up something for dinner okay?” You whisper, padding over to him silently,_

_His eyes remain shut, though he nods his head gently in response. “Ar- Are you sure? I’m meant to be on dinner duty tonight?”_

_“Yes I’m sure. I’m happy to cook.” You press a soft kiss against his lips, one that isn’t reciprocated, though is still very much so welcomed and needed._

_Stepping to the side, you allow Tim to pass you in the hall, making a beeline for the bathroom where you soon hear music playing from. He has the volume on his phone turned up to full and is playing something by ABBA, the song however is drowned out to you by the sounds of the shower.  
Making your way towards the kitchen, you stop off in the bedroom, living room and finally the kitchen and close the curtains and blinds over each window, helping to block out the sight of the storm raging outside._

_Dinner is a simple pasta dish which you had learnt to cook when you were a child, the sauce was basic but tasty, and the hardest thing it involved was chopping onions. The scent of garlic fills the apartment as Tim emerges from the bathroom, wrapped in a wool sweater and sweat pants. If it weren’t for the nervous look in his hazel eyes, you would almost say he looked cosy.  
“Can I help with anything?”_

_You shake your head no, turning the heat to the stove down so you can turn to look at him. “I’s all under control, did you want to go find us a movie to watch? I’ll bring dinner in shortly.” You smile, shuffling your feet across the tiled floor anxiously. You want to help him, you want to take his mind off whatever it is that is plaguing his thoughts, but you can’t. You don’t even know what has caused him so much hurt._

_“Yeah, I can do thar. Thank you Y/N, I love you.” He whispers, backing out of the kitchen and over to the sofa._

_You watch him leave for a moment, making sure he’s settled on the sofa, before turning back to your meal prep._

_An hour later, and you’re curled up on the sofa beside Tim, two empty bowls of pasta sitting on the coffee table in front of the sofa, while Jumanji plays on the TV. Tim has his head resting on your shoulder, one arm wrapped securely around your waist and the other holding your hand, while you rest your chin against his head, your left hand massaging his scalp beneath his tangle of hair.  
The wind had picked up outside, and despite all the windows blocked off from view, you could hear it howling, tree branches snapping off to the ground as hail mixed with rain. “Do you want another glass of wine?” You mumble, pressing a gentle kiss to his head, your eyes focusing on the empty glasses on the table. _

_“I can get it if you’d like?” Tim offers, turning his head slightly so he could look up at you awkwardly._

_“Don’t be silly, I need you to stay here and keep the sofa warm.” You grin, standing up slowly once Tim had relaxed his arm from around you. His grip on your hand slowly falls, until a booming crash of thunder echoes around the entire city. The glasses and bowls on the table rattle, and the windows shake menacingly. Just when you think it’s all over, the TV and lights flick off, plunging the apartment into complete darkness. Tim’s fingers lock around your hand in a vice like grip, his body freezing in an upright position on the sofa. You can hear his breathing coming in short laboured puffs, and occasionally in sniffles as he fights off oncoming tears. “Hey.. Shhh, I’m just going to check the fuse box.”_

_You turn to look back at Tim, his eyes wide and staring up at you, and in that moment, he looks so much like the little boy in the family photos he had once shown you, that it makes you want to cry. “Don’t leave me.” His voice is barely more than a whisper, though through the eery silence which the blackout had caused, it cuts like a blade._

_“I’ll never leave you Tim, I promise.” You breathe out, turning to face him front on before dropping to your knees, his hand never once leaving yours. “Why don’t you come with me? The fuse box is just by the front door, we can check it together yeah?” Your voice has taken on the same tone which you use when talking to a child, though you don’t mean to come across as patronizing, and you can only pray Tim is aware of that._

_Tim nods twice in agreement, standing slowly and helping you to your feet, all the while keeping his grasp on your hand from before, you don’t mind though. If holding onto you like he is, is what will help keep him grounded during all of this, then you will gladly allow him to cling to you for as long as he needs.  
Your walk to the fuse box is that of a slow shuffle, every rumble of thunder has Tim halting in his steps, and every flash of lightning which peeks through the cracks in the curtains causes him to tighten his grip on your fingers to the point of near crushing.   
Once you arrive, you flip the latch which keeps the cover to the fuse box locked, raising the plastic covering up so you could take a look, shining your phone torch inside to see if you could spot the problem. Everything is off, all the switches having been flicked down, and no matter how many times you toggle with the main switch, no lights turn back on. “Something’s tripped the switch.” You mutter, frowning slightly as you close the fuse box back up.   
“I just want to check something out the window for a second, will you be alright here?”_

_Tim stares at you with wide eyes, allowing his hand to gently release yours, and fall back to his side. “Will you be long?” He whispers._

_“Not at all, I’ll be right back.” Turning on the spot, you dart over to the kitchen window, peering through the blinds for a few moments. Down on the street, all of the lamps are off, and looking towards the buildings you can see, none appear to have any lights on either. “Something big has happened, the whole street is out, I wonder how far this blackout stretches.”_

_Closing the blinds back up, you find Tim stood behind you once you turn around in order to go be with him again. Another crash of thunder rolls through the apartment, and Tim rushes towards you, flinging his arms around your waist and pressing his forehead into your shoulder. His body is shaking, as tears begin to dampen your shirt. “I’m sorry – I need you Y/N, I need you more than ever.” He sobs, your arms wrapping around his shoulders instinctively._

_“Don’t be sorry, don’t you ever be sorry.” You whisper against his ear, pulling him closer against your chest with all your strength. “Let’s go to bed, hm?”_

_Tim nods against your shoulder, but shows no sign of releasing you from his tight embrace. Seeing no other option, you slowly shuffle with him towards your bedroom, it’s a long process, but it almost seems as if he cannot physically bring himself to let go of you. To him, you were all that was keeping him grounded right now, if he were to release you now, he knew he would be flung back into memories of the park, memories which he tries so desperately to forget._

_Your knee bumps against the bedframe, the first indication you had to knowing you had made it to the bedroom. Typically in a blackout, you would like a few candles, to at the very least illuminate the hall enough to see where you were going. But right now, you have far more important things to worry about over lighting candles.  
You shuffle around to the side of the bed, slowly lowering yourself down until you were sitting on the edge of the mattress. “Lay with me.”   
Tim does just that, taking a brief pause from your embrace, so you could both get yourselves situated on the bed._

_Tim lays on his back, one arm folded and propped up behind his neck; you curl up on your side, cheek resting against his chest, while his free hand rests firmly on your hip. You run one hand along the side of his torso soothingly, feeling the occasionally sob jolt through his body.  
This was the first time you had ever experienced Tim like this. Every other time there had been a storm, he would distance himself from you, whether for your own protection or his you never knew. But right here, right now, it was clear as day that he needed you more than ever. “Talk to me Tim. I- I need to know how I can help you.”_

_Tim’s breathing halts, and few a few moments you think perhaps he won’t saying anything at all, that he would simply push you away. That is until he lets out a chocked sob, one which flows right through you, causing your heart to ache for him.  
“Di- Did you ever he-hear about Jurassic P-park?” He stammers out, tears flowing down his cheeks at a steady pace now. He had convinced himself that he would never talk about this topic with anyone ever again, that by the time he came around to having another relationship, that he would have his fear of storms under control. And if it hadn’t of been for the blackout, perhaps he would be slightly more okay? But no, the blackout was what had tipped him over the edge, it was just **too** much like that night in the park. _

***^^^***

You turn onto your back, staring up at the ceiling with unblinking eyes, fighting back the sting of tears which are so desperate to stain your cheeks. He trusted you, he had exposed his entire childhood trauma to you that night, and throughout the whole story he kept telling you it was okay if you didn’t love him anymore. That he would be alright if you went back to just being friends. And that he would understand if it was too much for you to handle.  
You had laughed at him for that, telling him that you would be there for him no matter what. That you would stand by his side, take his hand in yours and never let him go, provided that is what he needed.

You sit up on your bed, swinging your legs over the edge so your feet are planted firmly on the ground. Your heart is hammering in your chest, and you can feel the sting of tears increase tenfold. You hurry over to the small table next to the door, scrambling for your walkie-talkie. “Jake? Come in Jake, it’s Y/N.”

There’s only static as a reply for a few moments, until his crackling voice comes through. “Doctor Y/L/N? Is everything alright?”

You nod frantically, before stopping in restation that no one could see you. “Yes, thank you yes, I’m fine. Just, something has come up at home and I need to leave. I’ll be coming back, but I need you in charge until I do. Can you do that for me?”

“Of course. You are not leaving now though, surely not? It’s wild outside!”

“I’m afraid if I don’t leave now, it may be too late.” You’re busy collecting a few essential items and throwing them into the duffel bag you had brought with you. There was plenty of room to spare, but all you needed was enough to get you by for the next thirty-seven hours.   
Hoisting the bag over your shoulder, and snagging the keys for the jeep you had been leant for your time in Arizona, you grin to yourself. “I’ll see you soon Jake. Good luck.”  
Before he can reply, you switch the walkie talkie off, and dart out of your trailer, racing through the rain as it pelts down onto your exposed skin. You hadn’t gotten changed, still wearing the same khaki shorts and blue shirt you had on at the beginning of the day, but you had no time to care about that now.

You dive into the jeep, twisting the key in its ignition and waiting for the engine to roar to life. “He trusts me. He loves me, and he would never do anything to hurt me.” You repeat to yourself, almost like a mantra, driving slowly out of the dig site, as you search for the turn off onto the main road. “There’s gotta be a reason he accepted the dig… He wouldn’t do something to hurt me, not this at least.” You’re not sure who you’re trying to convince anymore, yourself or the tiny voice in the back of your head which was screaming at you to turn back around.

***^^^***

He had been driving for a solid ten hours the day before, until he had stopped off at a cheap motel for the night. Waking up at six in the morning, just to hit the road again. He knew he would feel and look like death by the time he reached Arizona, but he couldn’t care. There was only one thing on Tim’s mind right now, and that was to make things right with you.   
How could he have been so stupid when he spoke to you on the phone. The first words out of his mouth should have been explaining why he had taken the Australia dig in the first place! But no, he had gotten too caught up in his own head, and thought of nothing but himself. He would be lucky if you even wanted to see him by the time he arrived in Arizona, for all he knew, you may no longer want anything to do with him….

By nightfall the falling day, he had just driven into Kansas City. The sun was setting, leaving the sky covered in beautiful shades of pinks and peaches, though he could see storm clouds brewing along the horizon.  
With a tired yawn, he pulled into a gas station parking beside a dust covered jeep. His intentions were to buy a microwave meal, and as many caffeinated drinks as possible, before asking where the nearest motel was.   
As he moved around the small store, piling his arms with what he needed to help him get through the night and then part of his journey, he paid little mind to the woman who was purchasing items at the counter. Though the young man serving her seemed to have taken a rather keen interest in finding out as much about her as possible, and was ensuring he made the transaction take as long as possible.

Just as she finished paying, Tim lined up behind her, his tired eyes barely focusing on anything but the silhouette of her familiar figure. She turned on the spot, thanking the young man for his assistance, before stopping dead in her tracks. “Tim?” She cried, the grocery bag she held in her hands dropping to the ground.

Tim blinked, the fog in his brain and eyes clearing instantly. “Y/N!” He gasped, taking two long strides to meet you in the middle. “What- what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in Arizona?” His heart was hammering in his chest, just seeing you was enough to remind him how much he loved and needed you.

“I was on my way home, to see you! Why are you here and not in New York?” You gasp, crouching to pick up your dropped items.

Tim knelt down to help you, though with his own arms full, he did little but help roll stray cans back towards you. “I was on **my** way to see **you**!”

Slowly, you both stood, Tim hurriedly placing his items on the counter before turning back to you. “You’re supposed to be going to Australia though?”

“I couldn’t leave, not without you. I never wanted to take the expedition, not without you But I had no choice, the whole thing was going to be scrapped if I didn’t take it, and I couldn’t let that happen, not after all the work you put into it!” Tim blurted out; his eyes boring into yours.

You could hardly breathe; you knew there had to be a reason behind what he had done. Though the fact he was willing to risk it all, just explain that to you, it caused your heart to soar. “Tim I, I don’t know what to say. I just, I’m sorry. I’m so deeply sorry, I should’ve let you explain, but I didn’t…”

He shook his head, stepping closer to you again until there was barely enough room for another person to stand between you both. “Don’t you ever be sorry, not to me Y/N. I love you, and if one of us is going to Australia, it’s going to be you. I don’t care what the heads of the museum say, there is only one person in this world who deserves this Australian dig, and that’s you.”

You shake your head, sniffling as a few stray tears roll down your cheeks. “I want you there with me. I’ll always want you by my side, no matter where we go.” The grin which spreads across Tim’s lips is one to rival that of the Cheshire cat, but you love it, and you never want to see anything but that expression on his face. “I love you.”

His arms snake around your body, pulling you against his chest, his head bowing down until your lips find one another’s. The man behind the counter pretends to busy himself with wiping down the cash register, giving you both as much privacy as possible, though he was unused to proclamations of love in the middle of the store.   
Slowly you pull away, pressing your forehead against Tim’s, grinning up at him with gentle eyes. “Where do we go from here?” You whisper.

He shakes his head softly, auburn hair flying all over the place. “Anywhere, everywhere. I don’t care. But we’ll have the tie of our life. Together.”

**Author's Note:**

> I would love to hear what you all thought of this story!  
> As per usual for those who have read any of previous works, I can literally never write a story without some kind of flashback, and this was of course no exception!  
> You're all more than welcome to check out anything else that I have written, or if you would like you can follow me on Tumblr at adrenaline-roulette 
> 
> Peace and love everyone ❤❤❤


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